Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) are considered a promising source of energy that is clean, provides a sustainable baseload for heat and electricity, and is an emerging key technology in the long-term transition to a fossil fuel-free future. However, developing a geothermal reservoir requires the forceful creation of fluid pathways in the deep underground by injecting large amounts of water under high pressure. Induced seismicity is an inevitable, yet poorly understood by-product of this technology, and has caused serious public concern and scepticism leading to the shutdown of several EGS projects in the past. Managing the induced seismicity risk is therefore crucial for the development and further exploitation of EGS technology toward market-ready power and heat supply in urban environments.
In a new study now published in Science Advances a team of scientists reports on a successful attempt to control induced seismicity during the deepest-ever hydraulic stimulation of a geothermal well in Helsinki, Finland.
G. Kwiatek el al., "Controlling fluid-induced seismicity during a 6.1-km-deep geothermal stimulation in Finland," Science Advances (2019). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aav7224 , https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/5/eaav7224
